Author: Eric Gilbert

Under a ridge of high pressure Monday was a glorious day with 8.6 hours of sunshine, the sunniest day since 21st September. As a result of the light southwesterly breeze bringing air from around the Azores, the thermometer rose to a maximum of 11.6C being 1.2C above the 36-year average.

This was only the second dry in March with the UV level rising to 2.7, still classed as ‘Low’.

The thermometer initially dropped away in the evening under a relatively clear sky to a minimum of 3.8C. However, increasing cloud after midnight, in advance of a weather front drifting down from the north, meant it recovered to 7.8C at 0800 on Tuesday. Thick cloud after dawn greeted the arrival of Tuesday with very light winds from the south west.

Sunday was a mostly miserable day with several hours of rain amounting to 6.8mm, which brought the monthly total to 56.1mm when the 36-year average is 59.8mm

The peak temperature was only 9.2C under the rainy conditions and that mid-morning at 10.09. There was brief limos elf sun at 15.05 as the cloud began to thin The skies cleared overnight to give a brief ground frost with the thermometer falling to 0.6C at 05.42 on Monday morning.

The low temperature after a wet day meant moisture condensed in the atmosphere during the early hours producing fog in the River Og Valley that promptly cleared as the sun rose.

Monday morning arrived with glorious sunshine as the result of a ridge of high pressure giving the highest pressure this month with a reading of 1020.7mb at 08.00

The sun broke through late morning for 2.8 hours on Saturday but increasing cloud in the afternoon obliterated any more sunshine.

It was another mild day and night with a maximum of 11.2C (+0.8C) and a minimum 7.7C (+5.4C).

An hour or so before dawn on Sunday the wind began to increase with a peak gust of 28mph at 05.49 as another weather front approached. A very light shower amounted to 0.3mm.

Sunday after dawn was gloomy with the cloud lowering over the Marlborough Downs and light drizzle in the air. The thermometer at 08.00 reading 8.6C and the barometer falling with a current reading of 1004.5mb

Under a minor ridge of high pressure the sunshine recorder logged 6.24 hours on Friday with a warmer day as the thermometer rose to 11.4C being 1C above the average.

Showers during daylight hours and more continuous rain overnight logged another 5.6mm of rainfall.

The weather front overnight meant a mild night with a minimum of 5.6C, which was 3.3C above the 36-year average.

Saturday morning saw intermittent sunshine as the hang back of cloud from the weather front eased away to the east.

The shift in wind direction into the west brought Polar Air on Thursday that depressed daylight temperatures. The maximum of 9.1C was 1.3C below average and the first below peak for a week. The sun recorder logged almost six hours of strong sunshine. Two significant squally showers occurred at 1030 and again at 1100 when heavy showers of hail were noted with a diameter of 2mm. This was classed as small hail being less than 5mm in diameter. At these times the temperature nosed dived 3C and the wind gusted to 36mph.

Precipitation for the past twenty-four hours amounted to 3.5mm.

A short lived ridge of high pressure is currently over the UK on Friday with the highest barometric pressure of the month reading 1017.7mb at 08.00. This has resulted in broken sunshine after dawn and the minimum temperature of 5.3C (+3C) had recovering to 6.8C.